Sewage spill needs airing out

The president of Surf City’s tourism bureau is asking the Orange

County Sanitation District to help clear up Huntington Beach’s image

after a Memorial Day sewage spill that closed several city beaches.

Conference and Visitors Bureau President Doug Traub met with

members of the sanitation district’s board of directors steering

committee on Wednesday to discuss a proposal for the district to

launch a $350,000 marketing campaign to clear up concerns about the

water quality of area beaches.

“There was definitely an impact on businesses in Huntington Beach,

and negative national press,” Traub said. “This is not something the

tourism community could roll over and take lightly.”

Traub will be asking the sanitation district to launch a research

study to determine public perceptions of local water quality and

launch a three-year marketing campaign to help change attitudes. The

outcome of the meeting was not available by press time.

The Sept. 4 spill shut down 2 1/2 miles of coastline from

Huntington Beach’s Magnolia Street to 52nd Street in Newport Beach

for two days. The 12,500-gallon spill was a disaster for the city’s

tourism industry, Traub said, closing a key visitor destination on

one of the last weekends of the tourist season.

The spill was likely caused by a series of mechanical failures,

said Bob Ghirelli, director of technical services for the district.

Moments before the spill , the plant experienced a loss in power from

the nearby Edison facility, its primary power provider. A backup

turbine engine system next failed because it was operating over

capacity, Ghirelli said. The final safeguard in place, a diesel

generator, had a major mechanical malfunction and went off-line,

eventually leading to sewage being released into the Santa Ana River

mouth instead of a release valve four miles offshore.

The spill created a negative connotation about Huntington Beach

water quality, Traub said.

“We do a better job of policing waters than any other community in

the country, and that story needs to get told,” he said.

The beaches from Warner Avenue south to Beach Boulevard, generally

have excellent water quality according to Santa Monica-based

environmental group Heal the Bay’s biannual reports. Beaches near

Magnolia and Brookhurst streets often face water quality problems the

report said. As of Oct. 11, the beach had a water quality grade of

“C.”

Cabal said the steering committee would simply hear Traub’s

request, but had not committed to any remediation.

“If they approve the plan, it will be forwarded on to the Board of

Directors for consideration,” she said.

Endorsements handed out as election day nears

A handful of political groups and nonprofits are weighing in on

the race for Huntington Beach City Council.

The California League of Conservation Voters has endorsed

candidates Debbie Cook and Steve Ray for their involvement in the

Bolsa Chica Land Trust and the Shipley Nature Center.

Cook and Keith Bohr have been endorsed for their pro-choice

beliefs by a group affiliated with Planned Parenthood. Candidates

Peter Albini and Robert Mellema are endorsed by a pro-life group

calling itself Taxpayers for Local Control. Candidate Don Hansen was

also endorsed as a pro-life candidate, although there was an asterisk

next to his name indicating that he “accepts abortion for rape and/or

incest.”

Bohr and Cook, as well as Jim Moreno, were endorsed as

gay-friendly candidates by an advocacy group calling itself the

Elections Committee of Orange County.

The Huntington Mobile Home Owners Assn. has chosen to endorse

Cook, Ray and Joey Racano, while the Apartment Owners Assn. has

indicated its support for Hansen and Joe Carchio.

Asian youth conference seeking applicants

Assemblyman Tom Harman is seeking applicants for the 15th annual

Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Conference.

The group was established in 1990 by Asian/Pacific Islander

legislative staff to introduce Asian and Pacific Islander American

youth to the field of public service and to encourage them to take

active rolls in their communities.

Each year, the leadership group hosts the conference at the State

Capitol. Students gain first-hand knowledge of the legislative

process, participate in a mock legislature and explore the richness

and diversity of the Asian and Pacific Islander experience in

California. The forum is also an opportunity to meet Asians and

Pacific Islanders who are state legislators, elected officials, key

capitol staff members and community activists.

Applications will be accepted from Asian and Pacific Islander

American juniors and seniors who are currently enrolled in a

California public or private high school. Fifty students will be

selected for the four-day, three-night leadership conference on March

17 to 20, 2005, in Sacramento and all costs for travel, lodging,

meals and conference materials are covered.

Applications are available online at https://www.apylp.org or call

the at (916) 497-0776. Completed applications must be postmarked,

e-mailed or faxed no later than Nov. 8, 2004 to be considered.